


these miles unable to separate

by Rosyredlipstick



Series: fireworks [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Conchell, Fluff, M/M, Reunion Fic, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 16:28:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7394989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosyredlipstick/pseuds/Rosyredlipstick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mitchell's plans for this weekend are the same well-worn, familiar plans he's had almost every weekend this year, a movie night with his best friend.<br/>Until a certain curly haired boy shows up on the front steps to his school, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	these miles unable to separate

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to my darling anon who requested conchell staying strong through the school year. Hope you like it!

Random post it notes were never a good sign, in Mitchell’s expert opinion on things that would probably end in a headache.

Especially when they hung from the outside of his bright blue folder - the folder that had been inside his locked locker all day long.

But, specifically, random post it notes were absolutely _not_ a good idea when they were marked with Sebastian’s trademark green marker.

Mitchell huffed out a sigh, taking the small blue paper in his hand, and read the words with the solemnity of a death notice.

_spontaneous date, left u bus fare - s_

Sebastian’s messy handwriting scrawled out, and Mitchell was only _slightly_ annoyed that he hadn’t informed Mitchell of this fact at their shared lunch. He sighed loudly, the air in his chest full and thick and reassuring, and rolled his eyes just once, before shoving the post it note deep into his locker. He pocketed the few crumpled dollar bills the other boy had left, trying to remember the bus schedule he’d been forced to memorize since he got here, as he loaded up his backpack. Only a few textbooks – homework was light this weekend, only a few essays he knew he would have trouble writing – and zipped up his bag.

He slung it over his shoulder, carefully locking his locker, and felt so incredibly relieved that it was Friday. He had no actual plans for the weekend, no, but that never stopped the day from being infinitely better simply because of the fact he wasn’t at school.

He felt his arm being pulled, and suddenly, there was another person hanging off it.  A common occurrence, as it turns out his mortal best friend also doubled as part koala. Her headscarf was especially bright today – some pretty blue and yellow flower pattern tied neatly around her hair.

Naomi gave him a soft smile from her place on his arm. “What are we doing this weekend?” She asked, leaning onto him as they walked.

Mitchell thought of their usual go-to weekend plans - binging Netflix movies and ice cream until they passed out on the floor of her basement. He grinned, “The usual, I’m hoping?” He told her, looking down at her with a smile. They had to maneuver around to make their way through the steel double doors – the trouble being of how she refused to let go as they squeezed through the small space - before they were out in the parking lot.

She huffed out a laugh, “My moms already approved. I was wondering when we’d confirm them.”

Mitchell stopped in his tracks, the laugh that was crawling up his throat frozen as he stared ahead.

Because here in Mitchell’s high school crappy broken parking lot, lit up by the bright San Francisco sun, hundreds of miles of where he _should_ be, Connor Stoll was leaning against a bright cherry red convertible.

“Who’s that?” Naomi whispered loudly, clenching his sleeve as she caught onto his mood. Her scarf brushed his wrist as she bent closer to his mouth, listening for his quiet words.

“That's…Connor.” He finally breathed out. Connor hadn’t noticed him yet, looking off in the distance, probably posing. Where in the world had he gotten a convertible? Oh gods, did he _steal_ a car to get here? Mitchell certainly wouldn’t put it past him.

Naomi laughed, low and surprised. “Your summer boy toy? I thought he was in New York?”

“Me too.” He answered, and it was starting to suddenly hit him that Connor was here at his  _school_  in  _California_. With a possibly  _stolen_  car.

“Oh my god, I forgot to floss this morning.” Mitchell realized with horror, clapping his hand over his mouth. “Oh gods, I’m not ready for this.”

His best friend laughed, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him to the side, out of the sight of Connor and his worrying ride.

“You’re clearly unprepared.” She told him, smiling. She held up her bag, her hand ruffling through it quickly.

“I’m _so_ unprepared.” He realized with horror, leaning against the pillar hiding them. He was _never_ unprepared – hell, he managed to keep each Aphrodite kid alive and breathing for an entire summer and _that_ was an accomplishment that had required intense planning and headache.

“Here.” She dug through her purse, and it took a moment for her to come up with a pack of mint gum, a sparkly foldable mirror, and a small sewing kit.

“It’s not perfect, but use some thread to floss if you’re that worried about it.” She told him, already digging through her purse again.

Mitchell took a small piece of thread and followed her order, not even flinching away when she pulled out a small orange bottle.

She sprayed him with it, a few spritz mostly on his neck, “It’s cinnamon perfume, not overly feminine but covers up the smell of sweaty high school student, so you’ll be fine.”

Mitchell nodded in thanks, exposing his neck so she could get the underside of his neck, a favorite spot of Connor’s. He tried to fight off his blush.

She pulled another item out, handing it over. “Your lipbalm.” She told him, not even realizing the significance of it. “You gave it to me to hold like, two days ago. Put some on.”

It was moments like these, when Mitchell was freaking out in a corner and Naomi was overly prepared and effective for every situation, that really confirmed their solid friendship.

“Teeth.” She instructed, waiting for him to expose his newly flossed teeth. He did, and she nodded in approval. “Chew your gum. Now  _go_.” She looked over his shoulder, “Lover boy is getting antsy.”

Mitchell took a deep breath, and refused to let himself freak out about how casual his outfit was, and the yellow macaroni stain he got on the sleeve at lunch.

“Thanks Nao.” He smiled at her gratefully, passing back her purse items. “You’re literally a lifesaver.”

“Thank the neverending pit I call my purse.” She smiled at him, soft. “Introduce me next time. But now - go!”

Mitchell gave her a quick hug before turning the corner, and with half the school currently pouring out of the double doors, it was a bit harder to see Conner through the crowd. He ducked and squeezed past his chatting classmates, and wasn’t too surprised to see a few of his peers gathered in huddles, admiring the convertible - or, more likely, the boy standing beside it.

When Mitchell finally emerged from the thick crowd, only a few feet from the other boy, he watched the other boy for a second. He took a deep breath before stepping forward. Connor immediately caught sight of him and beamed, his curls a bit longer then the last time Mitchell had seen him, his skin a darker tan.

“Hey darlin’.” Connor greeted him casually, as if this were a normal everyday occurrence. His smile was bright, overexcited, and he was nearly bouncing in place with hyper energy.

Mitchell bit back his smile, and instead enjoyed the light surprise and delight growing in his chest at the close up view of his boyfriend. “Fancy meeting you here. What are the odds?”

Connor hummed, still leaning against that ridiculously questionable vehicle. “I just happened to be in the area.”

Mitchell circled his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “Not that I’m not so incredibly happy to see you and your messy curls-” Mitchell twirled a rouge curl around his finger, enjoying how it bounced back into shape. “But what in the world are you doing here?”

“Sweeping you off your feet, of course.” He answered cheerfully, allowing himself to be pulled closer.

Mitchell only smiled at that. “And where did you get this -” Mitchell shook his head. “This vehicle?”

“Oh, Hortencia?” Connor pulled away from Mitchell, only so he could lovingly run his hand over the bright hood. “She’s my mom’s, but I’m borrowing it for the weekend.”

Mitchell could hardly conceal his sigh of relief. “That’s….good. And legal. Thankfully.”

Connor threw his head back, laughing loudly. “ _That’s_  what you’re worried about?”

He couldn’t help rolling his eyes in response. “As if that’s something silly to worry about.” He teased. He leaned in for a quick peck but froze mid-movement.  

“What…” Mitchell stumbled on his words as he caught sight of the clutter filling the backseat, and was surprised to see the familiar pattern of his favorite Bosca duffel bag sitting innocently on top of the pile. And it _was_ most definitely _his_ bag, as he leaned forward and caught sight of the green and gold luggage tag Sabrina had made for him in Arts & Crafts last summer. Mitchell turned back to Connor, his eyes wide. “What are you planning?”

Connor grinned at him, all secret and mischief. “I’m sweeping you off your feet, remember?” He opened the passenger door, letting Mitchell hesitantly slide in before going on the other side and starting the car.

Mitchell swallowed, and pulled his bag into his lap, not really knowing what to expect. He zipped it open, and there was a blue post it right on top.

_have fun & use protection! -s_

Sebastian’s handwriting told him, and Mitchell tried really _really_ hard to ignore the multicolor plastic condom wrappers and lube packets under the note. He pushed them to side, and under the ‘gifts’ were a few pairs of v-neck shirts and dark wash jeans, as well as his red toothbrush, his half empty bottle of cologne, and a few other toiletries.

Mitchell groaned, “ _Sebastian_  knows?”

Connor shrugged, a bright grin on his face. “I had to have  _someone_  pack your bag.”

“I could have packed my bag.” Mitchell told him, “I could have packed my bag very well, actually.”

Connor swung his arm around Mitchell’s shoulders, steering with one hand. Mitchell didn’t even mind, or at least he didn’t protest, and instead leaned in closer to Connor’s familiar warmth. “But then it would have  _ruined_  the surprise.”

Mitchell gave him a look. “You know that thing I have where I like to plan ahead with every single detail? Yeah.”

Connor snorted, his eyes still glued to the road. “Well, feel free to plan ahead for the next, eh -” His eyes flickered to the radio for a half second before they were back to the road. “Two hours. We’ll be sitting in this car so, feel free to plan.”

“Where are we going?” Mitchell continued to paw through his bag, at least grateful that Seb packed the essentials. His favorite blanket, a gray and blue fleece he got last Christmas, was folded at the bottom, and his gratitude for his brother was near overflowing.

“Somewhere beautiful.” He promised, winking. “Other than here, the sight of me of course. But you’re gonna love it.”

“We’re _in_  a beautiful place!” Mitchell told him, sweeping his hand across the impressive landscape as they drove. Not that he actually minded being stolen away for the weekend by his boyfriend, because really, who would?

“I’ve never been to San Francisco.” Connor remarked, his sunglasses lighting up spectacularly from the sun. The wind that was whooshing by their heads wasn’t too rough, and it was warm, but not too hot to be uncomfortable.

Mitchell chewed on the Naomi’s minty gum happily, the sun lighting up his skin and causing his tan skin to glow.

“Before this year, neither had I.” Mitchell smiled softly. “But I love it here.”

Connor gave him a half-laugh. “You moved down here without ever even visiting?”

Mitchell shrugged, leaning his arm out the window so he could feel the warm wind through his stiff fingers. “It was either Indiana or California. Not really up for debate.”

“How are you adjusting, anyways?” He asked, his words suddenly quieter, more serious. “Is everything…okay?”

He had this look on his face, where his lips lined out into a short dash and the lines on his forehead appeared, and that look told a story on how he would do anything to make sure everything was, in fact, okay. Mitchell was kind of in love with that look.

“It’s..” Mitchell finally agreed on a word. “It’s…nice.” He swallowed, “We eat dinner together almost every night, and his parents always ask about my day and they got me Christmas presents that I actually really,  _really_ like. And they tell me to call them mom and dad which is…weird but like, _good_  weird. And his dad is an editor at Vogue and he’s always traveling but he brings us back the  _coolest_  stuff. When Seb’s older brother - a mortal - came to visit, he talked to me like I’ve always been there and….it’s really nice.”

“They sound awesome.” Connor told him, smiling softly from the driver’s seat. The look from before was gone, replaced with something sweeter, and a bit softer.

“They  _really_ are.” Mitchell gushed, and he wasn’t even embarrassed about it. “And his step mom is so cool. Her name’s Maria and she’s incredibly into equal rights, so she’s always taking us along to rallies and parades in the city. But she works as an OB-GYN, and she lets us come in and look at the newborn babies and volunteer in the nursery.”

“Wow, you get to play with babies all day?” Connor snorted, “That sounds like quite the life.”

“It is.” He agreed, grinning. “And I even have this great boyfriend who sometimes surprise kidnaps me and treats me like hot stuff.”

“You  _are_ hot stuff.” Connor stuck his nose in the air. “Don’t patronize me for simply acknowledging that fact. And stealing you away is basically like, our  _thing_  by now.”

“You know, if I knew there was gonna be this much kidnapping in our relationship then i might have reconsidered.”

“Liar.” Connor smirked, “And honestly, had we not gotten together that summer I’m pretty sure Travis would have just kidnapped us _both_  and stuck us somewhere until we figured it out.”

Mitchell chuckled. “I have no doubt my siblings would have done the same. Or, helped him at the very least.”

“Speaking of siblings, how’s Sebastian doing?”

Mitchell tilted his head back, groaning. “Flirting his way through the entire population of our school, of course. Hitting on teachers, getting detentions every other day, nothing new.”

Connor barked out a laugh, his eyes dancing. “Sebastian’s got confidence, ya gotta give him that.”

“No I do not.” Mitchell announced, shaking his head. “I do not have to ‘give him that’. With all the detentions he’s getting his grades are going down the  _drain_.”

Connor dissolved into laughed, bumping their shoulders together. “Aw. You’re  _worried_ about him.”

“Of course I’m worried about him! He’s my  _brother_ , and he’s making all the bad decisions!” Mitchell sighed, throwing his arm over his eyes. “He keeps calling me a killjoy but honestly, if I see him with another cigarette dangling from his fingers, I’m going to kill  _him_.”

Connor was grinning, but it was mostly out of sympathy. “He’s going through a rebellious phase; it’ll be over soon enough.” He tried to reassure.

Mitchell blew a huff of air into his bangs, “His whole  _life_ has been a rebellious phase.”

They continued like that, soft smiles and even softer giggles, with witty banter and long conversations exchanged between them. They had just come off the long, forever going highway when Connor suddenly perked up, his eyes lighting up with animation and delight. 

“Close your eyes!” Connor instructed, excitement in his voice. “I’ll come around and lead you out when we get there.”

Mitchell did as he was told, and the bumpy car ride lasted for only a few more minutes before the engine cut off, and the other door slammed shut.

Mitchell’s door opened, and Connor’s warm hand circled around his wrist softly.

“Be careful.” The other boy warned, and Mitchell could feel the other boy’s hot breath washing over his cheek. Connor’s hands were hovering close to Mitchell’s skin, guiding him out of the car. The ground was rocky, gravel maybe, and it was uneven.

Connor, leading him, pulled him to a stop. “Okay.” Connor’s lips were circling his ear, and Mitchell had to suppress a shudder. “Open your eyes.”

Mitchell did, and had to swallow down the gasp that was hitching its way up his throat.

“Welcome to the Pinnacles National Park.” Connor grinned, throwing his arms up in a presenting manner.

It was…beautiful. The rolling hills were covered in towering rocks and green, flowery fields that seems to go on forever. The whole valley seemed to be positively brimming with life. Mitchell knew beauty, was familiar with the many different aspects of physical beauty that his mother gifted, but this was different. This was singing birds, and a twinkling brooke off in the distance. This was a light breeze ruffling his hair, and the boy he loved was standing at his side, nearly shaking in excitement.

“Do you like it?” Connor asked, his voice high with either nerves or anticipation.

Mitchell smiled, slow and low. “I absolutely love it.”

They both beamed at each other, admiring both the beauty of the nature around them and each other.

Connor caught Mitchell’s hand in his, and swung their arms between them.

“This is amazing, Connor.” Mitchell was still admiring the nature, but squeezed the other boy’s hand in his. “This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

Connor straightened up at the attention, looking pleased and relieved. “I’m really, really glad you like it.” He confessed, “I was scared you were going to hate it and demand to be taken home.”

Mitchell laughed, “I’m pretty much a different person when it comes to you. In a good way.”

Connor blushed at that, “I’d say you bring out the good in me too, but that sounds too sappy.”

Mitchell threw his head back and laughed at that, bumping their shoulders together.

Connor took that at his sign to lead Mitchell back to the car, their hands loosely hanging together.

“Got your sneakers?” Connor glanced down at his watch, “We’ve got a few more hours of daylight, and I’ve got some surprises.”

“More surprises?” Mitchell teased, pulling his gym shoes out. He made another mental thank you note to Sebastian, who planned better for this surprise trip then Mitchell ever could have. He slipped them on, eyeing the trails that led down to the canyons.

“I’ve  _always_  got something up my sleeve when it comes to  _you,_  darlin’.”

Mitchell gave himself a secret grin, “Your  _sleeve_ , huh. I would have thought the whole ‘up’ aspect would have come from somewhere  _else_.”

Connor laughed loudly, “I love when you’re secretly dirty. It honestly makes my day. Or life. Or both.”

Mitchell didn’t answer, only shooting him a wide smile, and slammed the door shut after him.  

Connor finally emerged with a backpack, not unlike the secret ones kept under the Hermes bunks, and began pulling items out of the overflowing pockets. Mitchell’s eyes widened as he realized what they were, or more likely, what they were used for.

“Camp Half-Blood has been preparing us our entire lives for this moment.” Connor noted, balancing a long chain of locking carabiners, looking suspiciously like the exact ones they had back at camp, in his trained hands.

“Camp Half-Blood has been preparing us for…rock climbing?” Mitchell took a line of the carabiners in his hands, his voice unimpressed, but his eyes dancing with excitement. “I thought camp was to teach us how to not-die in the real world.”

“Same thing.” Connor agreed, snapping apart the small metal pieces. He passed Mitchell a bundle of climbing rope, separating the two into piles.

“I haven’t rock climbed in months.” Mitchell admitted, briefly thinking of Lacy and Sophia, with their matching pink and blue gear.

Connor grinned, pulling a fabric bundle out of his back pocket. He waved it out before patting it over Mitchell’s head. It was a baseball cap, old and probably dirty, but it was Connor’s, that was obvious, and Mitchell had to force down the blush climbing up his neck.

“Gotta protect that delicate skin from getting sunburnt.” Connor told him, his voice a smiling tease.

Mitchell stunk out his tongue, adjusting the hat but not taking it off.

“Now…” Connor lifted his finished handywork, showing it off. “You ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

Mitchell, being the smooth guy he was, only smiled and replied. “With you by my side,  _always_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr for short stories and weird rambling, if that's your thing. I'm almost always open to prompts, so feel free to reach me there! Rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com
> 
> 9/15/16   
> Cleaned up the dialogue and helped it flow better. Don't stay up till 4 am desperate to finish a oneshot kids, you'll hate it within a few weeks!  
> -Rosy


End file.
